Hand tool for turning screwstoppers or caps



Oct. 20, 1936. J. P. L. HODSON 2,057,949

HAND TOOL FOR TURNING SCREW STOPPERS OR CAPS I Filed July 10, 1936Fig.1. I Fig.2. igj

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Patented Oct. 20, 1936 HAND TOOL roa TURNING SCREW- STOPPERS a CAPSJames Percy Lyon Hodson, West View, Misterton, England Application July10, 1936, Serial No. 89,983 In Great Britain May 29, 1935 1 Claim.

This invention has for its object the provision of a new or improvedhand tool for turning screw stoppers or caps of bottles, jars or othercontainers and which are sometimes diflicult to remove or tighten up:sufficiently by hand alone.

According to the invention, the hand tool comprises an arm or leverhaving a flexible leather or other strap or the equivalent securedthereto and passed in the form of a loop through a hole therein at anappropriate distance from one end, the arrangement being such that theloop can be applied around the periphery or head of the screw stopper orcap. The end of the tool is provided with a sharp cap engaging portionand when this is placed against the periphery of the cap and the loop isproperly adjusted to fit the size of the cap, the lever may be turned soas to contract the loop around the cap to such an extent that it willfrictionally grip the cap and permit the latter to be rotated.

Preferably only one end of the flexible strap will be permanentlyattached to the arm or lever and the other end will be adjustablysecured thereto in such a manner as to enable the loop to be varied insize to suit difierent sizes of screw-stoppers or caps. Also theoperative or abutment end of the arm or lever which serves as thefulcrum will preferably be tapered or pointed to afford a knife edge atthat end.

In any particular instance the loop of the strap applied to the screwstopper or cap will be somewhat larger than the periphery of saidstopper or cap so as to enable the arm or lever to be fulcrumed upon theouter surface of said strap to tighten the loop upon the stopper or capin the manner of a brake band or strap.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readilycarried into effect, the same will now be more fully described withreference to and by the aid of the embodiment illustrated in theaccompanying drawing; where- Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a frontelevation and a side elevation of the hand tool for turning screwstoppers or caps.

Referring to the drawing, the tool comprises a wooden, metal or otherarm or lever I ofrectangular cross-section tapered at one end to affordan edge or fulcrum 2 and provided or formed at the other end with anappropriate handle 3. A hole is bored through the arm or lever at t ashort distance from the tapered end thereof and at right-angles to theedge affording the fulcrum 2. One end of a flexible leather strap 5 ispermanently secured by a nail or screw 6 to the arm or lever l at aposition between the tapered or fulcrum end and said hole 4 and upon oneof the faces which are parallel to said edge 2, whilst a pin or peg I isdriven into the arm or lever I and projects from this face at a short 5distance from the hole 4 preferably on the handle side thereof, asshown. The leather strap 5 is threaded through the hole 4 in the form ofa loop (see Figure 2) and its free end is formed with a series orthrough holes 8 along its length, 10

which holes 8 can be selectively engaged with or passed over the pin orpeg 1 according to the size of loop required in any instance.

In use the loop of the strap 5 is applied around 7 the periphery of thestopper or cap 9 to be turned 1 (see dotted line position in Figure 2),and the adjacent tapered end of the lever l is brought into abutmentwith the strap 5 upon the stopper or cap 9 so as to tighten the loopuntil it frictionally grips the periphery over a large are, prefer- 20ably three-quarters or more of the circumference. Continued turningmovement of the lever l in the tightening direction (as indicated by anarrow in Figure 2) will increase the frictional grip and then turn thestopper or cap 9 so as 2 to slacken it. Obviously the loop can beapplied to the stopper or cap in a reverse manner and the lever turnedin a clockwise direction to tighten the stopper or cap in or upon theneck of the bottle or other container, and further that the 3 length ofthe loop can be readily made to suit different sizes of stoppers or capsby engaging the pin or peg in difierent holes in the strap to suitrequirements.

It will be seen that the present invention pro- 3 vides a simple andefficient tool for slackening or tightening up screw stoppers or caps ofbottles, jars, or other containers with ease, the power available beingin accordance with the length of the arm or lever and thedistance of thehole in 4 the arm or lever from the fulcrum.

I claim:

A hand tool for turning screw caps comprising a rectangular handleprovided with a substantially sharp cap engaging edge, an openingextending through said handle at right angles to said cap engaging edgeand adjacent thereto, and a loop element in its operative positionextending through the opening and having its ends positioned on one sideof said handle, one end of said loop being fixed to said handle and theother end being free and provided with means whereby it may beselectively secured to said handle, the portion of said loop adjacentsaid fixed end being adapted to lie along the other side of the handleand over the end of said cap engaging edge between the cap and said edgewhen the tool is in use and the handle is positioned to extend radiallyfrom the cap, so that the cap engaging edge will forcibly press thatportion of said loop firmly against the cap, thereby fixing the capengaging edge and that portion of the loop between the fixed end of theloop and the cap engaging edge lying along the other side of the handle,the remainder of said loop extending freely from the cap engaging edgeand. around the cap and downwardly along the other side of the handleand outside of that portion of the loop lying between the fixed end andthe cap engaging edge, the free end of the remainder of the loopextending through the opening to the first mentioned side of the handleand being free of and unimpeded by any other portion of the loop torender such remainder of the loop ad.- justable as to size and permit ofready take-up thereof.

' JAMES PERCY LYON HODSON.

